Category: General

MARA 2026 HAMFEST

KL7JFT

Our date is set for 12 Sept. Setup time is 0900 open from 1000-1600. The location will be the WASI Wasilla Senior Center off KGB. The door prize request letter to give to the vendors and businesses to request door prizes has been published.  Contact Shelia/KL3SRO for a copy. Remember the donations are tax free.  Check with the Treasurer for Tax Receipts to give to the vendors.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/JKyBS4quRXDy8C78A

(click on above map link)

We are currently looking for presentations to put on the schedule. Coordinate with Ken/KL2HF to get on the schedule.

Entry is $5.00 at the gate and 1 door prize tickets, additional door prize tickets will be a $1.00 max of 10, Tables are $10.00 reserve them thru John/KL1XM. The Barbee will be $5.00 ea.

We need volunteers to help on various tasks for the hamfest.   Please contact Shelia/KL3SOR.  We will need VEs to conduct testing at 1300-1400, will need folks at the gate, and the MARA Country Store, setup and tear down crews.  Please turn door prizes into prior to the Hamfest and any programs you would like to put on during the the Hamfest to Ken/KL7HF.

MARA is providing the main barbeque, if you could bring a side dishes it would be appreciated.

Our visitors this year will be a world wide ham tour group.

Craig has firmed up the date range for the ROAR International Ham Radio Fellowship trip to Alaska in early September of 2026. To be specific, participants should plan to arrive in Fairbanks no later than Friday, September 4th, to be in position for the Fairbanks Hamfest scheduled for Saturday, September 5th.

After the Hamfest, our group of worldwide hams and their family members will visit other significant facilities in and around Fairbanks, such as the Geophysical Institute (link: Home | Geophysical Institute (alaska.edu)), the Fountainhead Auto Museum (link: Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum (fountainheadmuseum.com)), the KL7AJ AlasKit Electronics Education Site and AARC Clubhouse (link: About – AlasKit), and the UAF Museum of the North (link: University of Alaska Museum | Museum of the North (uaf.edu)).

Upon completing our visit to Interior Alaska, the ROAR International tour group will travel by chartered railcar on the Alaska Railroad (link: Alaska Railroad Tours & Routes | Alaska Rail Vacations) to the Denali train station where we will disembark and stay at one of the excellent hotels (link:  Denali National Park Hotels & Lodging | Denali Area's… | ALASKA.ORG) near the entrance to the Park.  The following day we will ride into Denali National Park on board one of the official NPS bus tours (link: Bus Tours - Denali National Park & Preserve (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) for several hours of sightseeing and animal viewing.

The next day we will continue onward by rail to Anchorage where we will stay in the Hotel Captain Cook (link: ACCOMMODATIONS - Hotel Captain Cook) to use as our basecamp for out-and-back trips to Seward, Kenai, Chugiak, and the MARA Hamfest in Wasilla.  Potential activities in South Central Alaska include salmon and halibut fishing, shooting at the Birchwood Range (link: Home – Birchwood Recreation & Shooting Park (brspclub.com)) courtesy of the Alaska Machine Gun Association (AMGA link: Welcome to the Homepage for the Alaska Machine Gun Association! (amga.net)), and a tour of the Radio Science and Operations Center (RSOC) of the Anchorage Amateur Radio Club (AARC - link: RSOC Home – Anchorage Amateur Radio Club (kl7aa.org)).

The Matanuska-Susitna Hamfest will take place on Saturday, September 12th, so the earliest date that you would want to book your return flight to the Lower 48 or overseas is on Sunday, September 13th.  However, your hosts would be pleased to show you around even more of the Last Frontier should you choose to extend your stay into the following week.  Ruth Ann and Craig, KL7H, will eventually need to fly out to London for the annual Cabin Air Quality Conference (link: Home | Aircraft Cabin Air Conference), but there is still plenty of time to share the sights of Alaska with our guests following all of the scheduled events described here.

Based on conversations held at the recent Pacificon 2025 ARRL Pacific Division Convention, we anticipate several distinguished visitors who may be participating in addition to our regular ROAR International membership contingent.  These include the ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA (link:  Chief Executive Officer and Secretary (arrl.org), Northwest Division Director, Mark Tharp, KB7HDX, and/or Vice Director, Michael Sterba, KG7HQ (link: Directors – ARRL – Northwestern Division (arrlnwdiv.org).  We also hope to see  IARU Region 2 representative Gustavo De Faria Franco, PT2ADM, from Brasilia, Brazil, (link: International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) | Region 2 (iaru-r2.org)) on board as well.

73,

Craig, KL7H

TEL:  1 (907) 694-4730
Mobile: 1 (907) 854-0052
E-Mail:  KL7H@ARRL.NET

Pay your Membership Dues On Line

KL7JFT

If you haven't paid your 2020 membership dues, please get with John/KL1XM.  Our dues is one of our main incomes to maintain the club equipment and activities.  We are also a 501c3 non-profit club so it is all tax deductible. The web site has an application form for you to fill out under Forms and you can go to the Donate tab and pay by PayPal or Credit Card, if you like.  For any other club donations we will provide you a Tax Receipt.  Also with all the benefits available thru ARRL, you may be interested in joining it also.  You have the choice of 2 magazines now, one for new hams, with your ARRL membership, you also can get good equipment insurance, pod casts on various ham subjects, new equipment evaluations, construction projects, contest, and what ARRL is doing on our behalf with new legislation.

Another item of interest is that we are allowed to use our current meeting venue by donating to the food bank, non-perishable food or paper products.  This helps out our Food Bank for the community.   And thank you for your donation.

POTA, What is this?

KL7JFT
Well POTA is Parks On The Air.  Do you want have some fun, well this is it and it good practice for operating away from your home station. A lot of Alaskans like to get into the outdoors, fishing, hunting, hiking, ATVing, boating, or just plain camping.  Now it's possible you just want to get away from the hussle and bussle from the city and others for peace and quite.  But how would you like to help your state to improve getting folks interested to visit and help our small businesses.   Ham operators are always interested in talking up their station, home, and interest you have.  Well go to a park, any type and setup your portable station and call CQ CQ POTA, Denali National Park. This winter we held Winter Field Day at Finger Lake and had a blast.  Below is a link to a video that tells you all about it.  Enjoy.      POTA

SOTA-POTA Saturday (PENDING)

KL7JFT

Hello group,

Don't forget that this Saturday Alaska VHF+ is doing another Parks on the Air activation, and this time it will also be a Summits on the Air attempt at the same time.

Weather permitting, I will be hiking up a peak called The Hideout, just north of Skilak Lake. The plan is to be on the air for the 2 M SSB net at 0930 and make a few contacts there. I will have a good antenna but will be running QRP, so keep an ear out for a weak signal in the background.

If you can't hear me on VHF then keep an ear on 20 M FT8 around 1030. I'll be switching to that band and mode to make contacts outside of Alaska, but locals should be able to pick me up too.

For Summits on the Air this peak is "KLA/KM-456". It is within the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, and counts as K-0149 for that program.

Brandon Clark, KL7BSC

https://brandonclarklabs.com/